Wet strength resins are major additives used in the papermaking process. Use of wet strength resins, for example, polyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE), results in buildup of crosslinked chemicals and fouling of wet press felts, causing the felts to lose permeability and decrease water absorption speed after a period of time. Paper mills spend time and money to clean the fouled felts and even have to change the felts frequently.
Chemical products that are currently used for wet press felt cleaning or cleaning wet strength resin contamination are either highly caustic or highly acidic. These chemical products are corrosive, not renewable or biodegradable, and are inappropriate for safe handling. Additionally, the products not only remove the wet strength resin contamination but may also damage the felt itself.
Thus, there is a need for products that are highly efficient in cleaning wet strength resin contamination from papermaking equipment and/or preventing wet strength resins from contaminating papermaking equipment, without appreciably damaging the equipment. Additionally, the products must be safe to handle and environmentally friendly, such as renewable and/or biodegradable.